Class of 2023
The Year’s Most Exciting Chefs
From big names reaching new heights to up-and-coming culinary stars, we've named the Homecoming King, the Next Big Thing, the Pop-Up Prince and a whole lot more.
Words by Tomas Telegramma·Tuesday 12 December 2023
It's been a huge year on the national restaurant stage, with the rising cost of living and post-Covid chill impacting all areas of hospitality. The year's most talked-about chefs showed talent and ambition to burn, making Australia one of the world's best places to dine.
From the Top Jock to the New Kid on the Block, here is the Broadsheet Class of 2023.
Pop-Up Prince, Tom Sarafian
Melbourne digs his dips, but this year the ex-Bar Saracen head chef went toum infinity and beyond peddling them at more collaborative pop-ups than we (or he) could keep up with. And he’s not done yet.
Rebel With a Cause, Jo Barrett
The former Oakridge Wines and Future Food System chef is making big waves at Little Pickett, her Lorne Bowls Club restaurant, where the zero-waste ways her new cookbook spruiks burst to life on your plate.
Top Jock, Josh Niland
It’s of-fish-al: Sydney’s seafood whisperer – famed for his “fin-to-gill” cooking philosophy – has gone global, opening a Singapore restaurant to close out a year swimming with international (and local) acclaim, much for Fish Butchery, his sophomore cookbook.
House Captain, Danielle Alvarez
(Of the Sydney Opera House, that is.) In 2023 the powerhouse founding chef of Sydney farm-to-table fine diner Fred’s re-emerged from a 12-month hiatus rearing to go – with a new role as culinary director of the Opera House’s events venues and a continent-crossing cookbook we can’t get enough of.
Homecoming King, Hugh Allen
Pinnacle Melbourne fine diner Vue de Monde shuttered for three months this winter to refurb and recalibrate. Executive chef Allen jet-setted, got reinspired and returned to the 55th floor with a new view for Vue – his head in the clouds only literally, not figuratively.
Ch(i)ef Scientist, Justin James
James’s CV is the stuff fine-dining dreams are made of: Noma, Eleven Madison Park, Melbourne’s Vue de Monde. But what he’s created at Restaurant Botanic has propelled Adelaide Botanic Gardens into the dining stratosphere. His wondrous work in the dedicated “Ferment Lab” feels like genuine rocket science.
Next Big Thing, Ahana Dutt
The ex-Firedoor sous chef is blazing a trail worth following at new Sydney restaurant Raja, where core food memories from her childhood in India are magicked into an “unapologetically Indian” menu that’s in a league of its own.
Triple Threat, Dan Pepperell
His culinary musings have long put a pep in Sydneysiders’ steps, but this is a trifecta year for Pepperell. Alongside fellow chef Mikey Clift and somm Andy Tyson, he opened the glam Clam Bar, a Sydney spin on New York’s iconic steakhouses and a decisively delicious follow-up to Bistrot 916 and Pellegrino 2000.
Jack of All Trades, Paul Bentley
(But certainly not the master of none.) For this prolific Perth-based chef, the quantity of venues he’s involved with never impacts the quality of their offerings. From longstanding pizza paradise Si Paradiso to Mount Hawthorn wine diner Casa (and spin off Casa Pizza Wine), everything he touches turns to gold.
New Kid on the Block, Stephannie Liu
She’s been in Melbourne for less than a year, but already Liu's making her mark. Harnessing the power of seasonal simplicity, she’s helped make Julie, in Abbotsford Convent, one of the year’s most exciting new restaurants.
Young Gun, Lucinda Khan
Age is but a number, though chances are your 23-year-old accomplishments pale in comparison to 'Luci' Khan’s. She’s steadfast at the helm of her Sydney pasta bar Acqua e Farina and her dad’s nearby degustation diner Metisse.
Overachiever, Mo Zhou
Doing the most can mean hits and misses. Not for this dynamo. Zhou's teeth-cutting time at two of Melbourne's frontrunning fine diners – Attica and Vue de Monde – shines through at Gaea, his boundary-pushing Fitzroy degustation restaurant, and Chiaki, his new Japanese cafe.
Comeback Kid, Louis Tikaram
He's made a name for himself in Sydney and the States – as founding chef at LA hotspot EP & LP – but Tikaram's star quality has been supercharging since he returned to Brisbane to open Cantonese stalwart-in-the-making Stanley.
About the author
Tomas Telegramma is a freelance food, drinks and culture writer.
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